Famous Last Words Review

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(More customer reviews)It's a cool book with interesting quotes. The pictures are nice and the layout is easy to read. I really enjoyed it.

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Over 2,000 notable parting sentiments, from Socrates and the Marquis de Sade to James Dean and Elvis Presley. This sometimes funny, frequently moving compilation offers a glimpse at the deathbed departures of kings, courtiers, poets, painters, saints, villains, murderers, and martyrs through the ages. Among the famous last words are Bing Crosby's breezy sign-off: ``That was a great game of golf, fellers''; Lawrence Oates' farewell to Captain Scott on his ill-fated expedition to the South Pole: ``I'm just going out. I may be some time...''and Civil War commander General Sedgewick's final miscalculation: ``They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist--'' A fascinating record of our final thoughts at the brink of the unimaginable. Jonathon Green is a noted lexicographer and the author of many books, including Slang Down the Ages. 160 pp 6 1/2 x 9 1/2 200 b/w photos & illustrations

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Fear of Dreaming: The Selected Poems (Poets, Penguin) Review

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(More customer reviews)Jim Carroll is by far one of my favorite poets. He sees so much deeper than most people. The words and even fonts he uses sucks you in and you feel as though you have been transported to another world. I first got interested in his poetry when I saw "The Basketball Diaries" with Leonardo DiCaprio, and the poetry made the movie even more powerful than it already was. I left the theatre stunned. I then went to a reading of Carroll's poetry at Seton Hall University, and was fortunate enough to meet him. He is an amazing guy. The poems are deep and their power and emotion pervade your body so that you can never forget them. People think that becuse Carroll writes modern poetry, that his poems are trash. That is certainly the opposite of what they are, and I think that his poems are more interesting than poets who write the lovey-dovey, rhyming type stuff. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to be swept away in the urban-like poetry of today.

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Like Underground Water: The Poetry of Mid-Twentieth Century Japan Review

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(More customer reviews)Here is one of the most beautiful, evocative anthologies of poetry that I've come across in a long time. Poetry is always difficult to describe & review -- but think of the qualities you'd associate with the Japanese worldview, in its exquisite detail & color, its understated yet passionate expression -- and then stir in Surrealism, symbolism, the Beats, Existentialism, the haunting presence of the Second World War, the awareness of 20th Century absurdity & meaningless deaths, the rise of the female voice, and the countless beauties of Nature.
80 poets are represented in these pages, their work spanning most of the 20th Century. Each has a distinctive style & tone, which we're allowed to sample in 2 or 3 poems from each poet. The overall effect is that of an ever-unrolling scroll, one that changes with time, sometimes in subtle ways, sometimes abruptly & shockingly. These poems are always engaged with the world, while exploring the inner universe of each poet, so that we see everything with new eyes as we go from poet to poet.
None of this work is impossibly esoteric or academic, although the erudition of the poets is obvious. Yet while some of it is deceptively simple on the outside, it's the simplicity of a koan, one of those Zen questions intended to cut through everyday patterns of thought. This is one of the few poetry anthologies I return to again & again -- most highly recommended!

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The Complete Poems: Anne Sexton Review

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You can like, or dislike, Anne Sexton. I won't describe her work (other reviewers have, and if you're here you're at least familiar), but say that if you've loved any poetry by Sexton, I highly recommend this book.
It's organized, chronologically, by her books (and hence her life): each poem from each book is within this one, plus some previously unpublished poems. Each of her books--in this case, chapters--is thematically consistent: fairy tales (Sexton-style "homages"), "love poems," time in the institution, etc.
You may not love every book/chapter, but the volume is a must-own. I don't see a need to buy "Love Poems," for example, or all or some of the rest of her books, when they're all in here - and each one not priced all that differently from this entirety. (It's also not oppressively long and hard to hold like some "complete" collections.)
Within this book, if you don't connect to one, two, or any of her other books, you've got them at hand and while enjoying the material you do--be it institution or masturbation--you'll be familiar with the rest.
Anne Sexton is my favorite poet, I admit, but when I reread a poem I far more often pick up this volume than the individual books.
As well, the chronological organization of "Complete Poems" tells a story itself - Sexton's life through her confessional poetry. It becomes a memoir, of sorts. While reading, you can easily see the year of each book's/chapter's publication. And in this way, the volume becomes a story and a biography.

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Pole Dancing To Gospel Hymns Review

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(More customer reviews)Although Andrea Gibson is, undoubtedly, a slam poet; seeing her work in written form gives an insight to her poetry that one may not immediately find through her audio anthologies. Although I find the audio version of hew works slightly more compelling I recommend Gibson's work as that of one who is a strong and influential voice in modern poetry.

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Andrea Gibson's dynamic and timely new book, Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns is a energetic collection of stirring and introspective poetry. Hauntingly vivid, the poems voyage through a soldier's lingering psychological wounds, to the curious questions of school children on the meaning of "hate", to a lover's witty and vibrant description of longing. Gibson's poems deconstruct the current political climate through stunning imagery and careful crafting. With the same velocity, the poignant and vacillating love poems are equally capable of sweeping the air out of the room. Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns has a bold and unforgettable internal voice and is rich with the kind of questioning that inspires action.

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